The Final Frontier Was Made To Be Ruled
by StopandSmellthePotatoes
Summary: When Loki says that he has seen the Tesseract's true power, everyone assumes that the Chitauri showed him. But what they don't know about is the time that Loki spent on the U.S.S. Enterprise, learning about science, true power, and Vulcans.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! Um. Not really sure what to say about this story actually. My friend suggested it and I decided that it absolutely had to happen. My knowledge of Star Trek is limited to Chris Pine and Tribbles and very little else so humor me. This story if very much intended to be based around the 2009 versions of the characters since that is what I'm more familiar with. I hope you enjoy! Review so that I know someone actually reads this loony mess of a story!**

**I don't own Star Trek or Avengers.**

Chapter One

"I've seen worlds you've never known about! I have grown, Odinson, in my exile. I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" Thor says sharply, loudly, more worry in his eyes than Loki is accustomed to seeing from his would-be brother.

They are standing on a mountaintop on Midgard, but Thor's question has Loki's mind leading to another Midgard, a newer, faster, more intelligent Midgard. Brighter, shinier, reminiscent of his Asgardian home. The people in that Midgard remind Loki of Asgardians as well, brave, foolhardy even in their lust for exploration and new worlds. And then he remembers the one that was like him, different, wiser, less enthralled by what they found on their new worlds, more fascinated by why and how and how to reasonably evade capture without excessive killing and wasted time.

Spock.

Loki's unofficial exile had not been easy. He had fallen for what felt like years to his already broken body, he had dropped through unseen skies, watched unfamiliar worlds fall by. And then when he closed his eyes as his lungs tightened, he felt his body tense on someone else's accord. A light curled around him and he blacked out. When he opened his eyes, he was looking up at the smooth white ceiling of an unfamiliar building. The building hummed with energy, with a kind of life that Loki had never felt.

"Who the hell are you?" A gruff voice demanded to know, and then a weathered face came into Loki's line of sight, a face that matched the voice.

"What?" Loki managed to say, quietly, painfully.

"Okay let's start over. I'm Doctor McCoy, the Chief Medical Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Now who the hell are you?"

"The what? I-I don't understand what's going-" Loki was cut off by McCoy turning away from him abruptly.

"This. This is exactly why we don't pick up strange floating men in outer space, Jim. Because they're incoherent and confused and all around unpleasant to talk to," McCoy hissed at the gold-clad man that watched him with curious eyes.

"We're explorers, Bones. This is what we do," the man in gold stated.

"No. We go to planets. We don't pick up hitchhikers," McCoy barked. He snapped his fingers at the silent girl in red who held some kind of thin book. "I need that now."

"The fact that he was breathing out there is fascinating," another voice, calm and emotionless, said. Another man in blue stepped into Loki's line of sight and looked down at him curiously. "What is your name?"

Loki didn't say anything. He was completely baffled by what had transpired. His day, already made bad by his brother returning and his father rejecting him, had been officially ruined by these primary-color wearing space explorers that had somehow managed to keep him strapped down to their flimsy hospital bed. When McCoy approached him with a harshly glinting needle, Loki realized that he had been drugged, and he couldn't fight off the sleep that they were forcing on him yet again.

"I've never seen anything likes this before, and that's saying something," Dr. McCoy said with amazement in his voice. "He looks human, everything about him looks human, but his vitals are nothing like a human's. It'd take a lot to kill this guy."

"I like him. Can we keep him?" Jim asked eagerly.

"Captain, he is not a pet," I said.

"Dammit, Jim. Don't you have things to be doing?" Dr. McCoy said testily.

"Not really, no."

"You're not the captain or anything. Nothing important?" Dr. McCoy was practically attacking his PADD in his annoyance.

"Fiiine. I get it if you want me to leave. Just- Captain's orders here. You are not allowed to toss him out the garbage chute, okay? Okay. I'm leaving." The captain left the Sick Bay and I turned back to look at the still figure lying in the bed.

"He will be very interesting to learn about," I said without really meaning to.

Dr. McCoy shrugged. "Unless he kills us in our sleep."


	2. Chapter 2

***ducks and covers* hi... so. This story is back from it's super unofficial hiatus! With the shortest chapter ever, but don't worry I'll be updating within the next week, I swear! I've been trying to improve my Star Trek knowledge so that I can write the characters better, but really I still know nothing about it.**

**As always, I don't own of the things I write fanfiction about, otherwise it wouldn't really be fanfiction, now would it?**

**Chapter Two**

Spock has seen many strange things in his time aboard the U.S.S Enterprise. He has seen many strange things in less than a week's time. There should be nothing horribly surprising about the human that they discovered floating in space, perfectly intact, like he was breathing on earth and not deep space. And yet, when Scotty beamed him aboard, he could not help being drawn towards him. Spock followed him into the Sick Bay, and waited for him to wake up so that he could answer his questions. He proved to be unhelpful so far, but Dr. McCoy seemed to think that his body was in shock, that he was going to recover and be more useful later.

Spock has decided that the only logical course of action there is to take is to trust the doctor. The space-breather does not appear to be waking in the near future and he has duties to attend to, duties that I should not shirk simply because this visitor confuses me.

"I am leaving now," Spock says, going towards the door.

"Okay. Should I send word up to the bridge when he wakes up?"

"Yes, Doctor."

* * *

As the doors slide shut, Doctor McCoy turns back to his patient, frowning slightly. More than slightly, really. More than he, as a professional doctor on a ship like the Enterprise, should. And he knows all of this, but this alien visitor, human in appearance, completely inhuman beyond his flesh as the physical examination showed, set McCoy on edge. He didn't have a good feeling about this person's presence on the Enterprise.

_This is not the first time you've felt this way, Bones,_ he reminds himself as he sets back to work, ignoring that annoying part of him that pointed out that sometimes he was right to not trust some of their guests. _And sometimes you're wrong so just shut up and get over it._

There isn't much to be done for the alien visitor. He's relatively uninjured, and the tests that McCoy is running aren't yet finished, so he can't know anything about his physical makeup until then.

McCoy's eyes are fixed on the screens, ignoring the disconcertion he felt about his patient, waiting for the tests to finish and half hoping that someone will come in needing his assistance.

His wish doesn't get granted, instead the patient moves, quickly, like a wary cat. And suddenly McCoy is staring at the fully-awake figure shrinking into the corner of the bed in self-protection. McCoy raises his hands instinctively to show the visitor that he doesn't plan on causing him harm and steps towards him carefully.

"Stop." The voice is harsh, ragged, and ten different kinds of confused, but it holds power and authority and McCoy almost freezes in his tracks.

"Who are you? Where are you from?"

"I am Loki, of Asgard."

**(And I am burdened with glorious purpose.) See why I wanted to end it there? Hope you enjoyed! Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

***insert standard disclaimer here* I split this chapter into two parts. I'll post the next part tomorrow or the next day. Hope you enjoy! Remember to review, because that always makes me want to update more. :p**

Chapter Three

Instead of questioning Loki of Asgard himself, Dr. McCoy sent for Spock as he had requested. The good doctor had happily returned to his work, occasionally glancing at the monitors to watch the tense exchange between the two stoic, pale and otherworldly men in the sealed off sickroom. McCoy shook his head at Spock's patience, not sure he'd ever seen the Vulcan so welcoming and not intimidating. Just one more disconcerting thing in the already very bizarre day.

The sickroom was cold and sterile white, generic to Spock and frankly startling to Loki. They sit in silence, eyeing each other warily, for longer than McCoy cares to watch on the monitors. Finally, Loki breaks the silence imperiously, princely pride wining out over fear.

"Where is the U.S.S Enterprise?" The words are unnatural and stiff coming from his mouth, but Spock is surprised that he remembered so clearly where he was.

"In space. Deep space, exploring distant worlds. I am here to ask you how you could have possibly survived without oxygen, as you look human and your vital signs are extremely human."

"A human? Of Midgard? Are you Midgardian explorers then?"

Spock stares at him, searching the recesses of his mind to define 'Midgardian.'

"And I am not of Midgard, I am of Asgard." And then he froze and a more poetic mind than Spock's would swear that Loki's eyes iced over. "I am of Jotunheim."

"Jotunheim," Spock repeats, memorizing it to review later. "Why were you where we found you?"

"I was falling, through icy cold darkness, and I don't remember anything. Just anger and horror and fear." Loki's pretty words were calculated and vague, Spock could see that as he looked at the wary patient. He wasn't going to get any straightforward information from their visitor until he trusted them.

"We are not going to hurt you on the Enterprise, Loki. We are merely curious as to why we found you in the circumstances that we did."

Spock stiffens as Loki smirks and leans towards him, the ice melting to reveal taunting. "And by 'we' you mean 'you' I think, Spock of the Enterprise. I don't see anyone else in here asking me questions."

Spock doesn't say anything, doesn't move an inch, and if Loki was a lesser man he would not have seen the uncertainty behind Spock's calm facade. They sit in silence again, before Spock stands up.

"I will tell the Doctor that you will need to remain here until you have completely adjusted to being here. The Captain of this ship will be down here to question you as well."

Loki didn't mind the loneliness of his room. He was more than used to it, really. The constant buzzing and the unwelcoming whiteness were unfamiliar, but if he was going to live his life as an outcast from the realm he was raised in, he was going to have to get used to strange things.

_Outcast._

Spock recognized the look of isolation and loss in their patient's eyes. Without speaking to him, he could see that Loki was not like anyone on his home planet. He could see that he wasn't welcome where he came from, and at least to some degree, that explains why he was floating in space.

Spock shakes his head a little, clearing his thoughts. "Captain, did you want to speak to the patient?"

"Spock! Yes. Yes I did. How is he?" The Captain sits up in his chair, turning to look at his First Officer.

"He's well, but very confused. Wherever he comes from does not have technology like ours," Spock says. "When you speak to him, you should avoid startling him."

"Will he kill us if we let him out of his room? I don't want to treat him like a prisoner."

"I doubt it, but I will let you make that decision yourself, Captain."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Look at me remembering to update. The next chapter (which should come fairly soon) is fun and involves Spock and Loki bro-ing out over science, so review and the chapter will come faster! Reviews help me realize that people are actually reading this bizarre fic. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or the Avengers. if I did, I'd drive nice cars and not write fanfiction. **

Chapter Four

Loki wasn't fond of the captain of the vessel Enterprise. Captain Kirk, Jim as he had introduced himself, was louder, more abrasive, more open than Loki was prepared for. He was tense and clipped in his responses to the captain's questions, and didn't realize until now, as he sits alone again, why he did not welcome the captain's presence.

He was nothing more than a reminder of his brother, a reminder of the home he had abandoned.

Some part of Loki recognizes that James Kirk is not like his brother, they are _similar _but they are not the _same. _But he is so startled by the golden captain's spirit, welcoming, out-going, restless, that he lets himself shut down and answer his questions in the barest form that he can. Loki is grateful for his lying tongue, he doesn't think he could have done this without it.

When the interrogation comes to an end, the captain stands up, leaves, and the door remains open. Loki watches it for a while, he doesn't know how long, seeing the doctor go back and forth, carrying vials and looking at bright, moving glass screens. A world out there that Loki doesn't understand, not yet, and he's not sure after the day that he's had, whether he can handle it or not. So he stays there, hiding his fear with an appearance of glazed-over boredom, and waits.

* * *

"Spock, would you go down there and take our guest on a tour of the ship?" Jim requests, glancing briefly over at his first officer. "I don't think he's going to move without some kind of encouragement."

Spock looks at Jim, looking vaguely curious as to his request, and the captain nods towards the door.

"Please, Spock."

Spock leaves without saying a word, and Jim turns back to face the stars, smiling a bit.

"No offense, captain," Sulu said from where he sat observing the one-sided exchange. "But why send Spock? If you want this space breathing stranger to feel welcome-"

"Space breathing?" Chekov bursts into the conversation. "That's not normal."

"But we're not seeking _normal_, are we?" Jim pauses for a minute before adding, "I sent Spock because those two are going to get along whether they like it or not." And he doesn't say anything else, he doesn't need to. He assumes that soon enough, his point will be proven.

* * *

Loki is silent as Spock leads him around the ship, on rare occasions pointing out important things in the ship. He watches, mapping out his surroundings in his head, trying to make sense of these Midgardians so far from their own realm. Spock tells him that their mission is to seek new kinds of life, different kinds of life, as some way of explanation.

"And what do you do when you find them?" Loki asks, finally breaking his silence.

"We attempt to engage in peaceful conversation with them. We are not men of violence, we only want to leave things the way that they were, or better. If we can improve the worlds that we encounter, we will try to."

"So you do not set out in hopes of war," Loki says softly, stopping to stare out at the dark, starlit space out the windows. "That isn't something that I am accustomed to hearing when it comes to visiting new worlds."

Spock looks at the pale man before him. "Am I right in saying that you are a stranger on your own home planet?" he doesn't know what made him say that, it seemed right at the moment. Loki's look of hostile surprise tells Spock that he could have thought wrong, but.

"I didn't _know _I was a stranger. Not really. Not until... not until not long ago, and now it all makes so much sense. I've always been a stranger, and a little bit unwelcome, but I didn't know, and neither did anyone else. They all just knew that I seemed wrong for their realm." His eyes darken, and Loki shuts down and doesn't say another word.

Spock realizes that it would be useless to try to get any more information out of Loki, so he leads him around the ship back to the Sick Bay to leave him in his room.

"No, no, no," McCoy greets them. "He's not sick anymore, there's nothing wrong with him. He'll be staying up where the not-sick visitors always stay. I'd say his belongings have already been moved, but he doesn't have any. Someone should probably see to that though, that armor can't be comfortable."

After the doctor finishes his rapid fire instructions, he turns away and gets back to his work, and Loki looks to Spock expectantly.

"Follow me."

The room Spock takes Loki to is bigger than the Sick Bay, warmer and more welcoming. Loki sits on the bed after Spock leaves and looks around. A little more like home, only sleeker and traveling through space with luxury that no one on Asgard could have imagined. But he has to try to make it feel like some kind of home, Loki thinks. Even if he's not sure what a home should feel like anymore.

His new home shouldn't feel so boring, that much is obvious. Not with so many unfamiliar things surrounding him, so many things to see and understand and store away for future reference. Loki stands up, remembering all of the doors that Spock hadn't taken the time to explain, all of the magic and science happening behind those doors, and he leaves his room in search of entertainment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiii! Have another chapter, complete with Spock having more feels than he probably should. Excuse any (inevitable) ooc-ness, and I hope you enjoy! Revieeeew. It helps me write faster!**

**Disclaimer: Things that I own: sparkly Disney princess chapstick. Things that I do not own: Star Trek. Avengers.**

Chapter Five

Spock doesn't return immediately to the main flight deck, instead he allows himself the time to walk around the Enterprise, briefly acknowledging those that he encounters, but mostly lost in calculating thought. He has never put this much thought into the life forms he encounters, except perhaps James Kirk, and he's not sure what to do with that new information. The Norse god-Spock had realized Loki was in fact a Norse god after connecting his odd word choices and his name-has somehow endeared himself to Spock's more human nature. He will blame that on the sense of familiarity he felt when he spoke to Loki, the lost, lonely, misfit nature that they shared.

And to quote an Earth phrase, 'speak of the devil, and he shall appear.'

Loki doesn't seem to acknowledge Spock's appearance, instead he keeps his eyes fixed on the bright science laboratory, scanning the equipment with interest. Spock stops walking a few feet away from him and doesn't say anything, simply waits for the Asgardian to initiate a conversation.

They stand in without speaking for a few minutes, the silence only interrupted by the soft hum of the equipment in the lab. Then Loki says, "This is unlike anything that I've ever seen before," while still looking at the lab.

"It is a very sophisticated laboratory, even for the times." Spock knows that his statement is vaguely unhelpful to Loki, but he's not sure what else to say, so they fall back into silence as Loki wanders around the empty lab.

The silence is broken again, in a much more jarring manner as one of the doors slams open-it probably doesn't really slam, but in the peaceful room, it seems like it does-and two people in blue shirts indicating their specialization in a field of science walk through, talking animatedly to one another. As they pass Spock and Loki, they nod, greeting the First Officer with quiet efficiency, before carrying their conversation from the lab.

Loki looks to Spock, with no question in his eyes, only a look of cold understanding, before speaking. "What's wrong with you?"

Spock is actually surprised by his callousness, and doesn't respond.

"We're in the middle of space, that much is clear. You're crew is, as you said before, seeking out new life forms to interact with, ally yourselves with, learn from, and yet everyone that has passed us has tensed and greeted you with far less warmth than the few that I saw greet the captain did. Why?"

Spock assesses Loki, applying every bit of his knowledge on emotion to make sense of the emotion in Loki's eyes before the shutters come down and he's only looking at the god's blank face.

"You understand why."

Loki blinks, looks down, smiles a bit and then turns away, eyes fixed on an empty test tube. "I think I do."

Neither of them sees a need to continue the conversation, but neither can find or forge a valid excuse to remove themselves from the other's presence, so they wander the science laboratories together, then the botany bay, and then, when Spock decides it is time for him to resume his duties, he bids Loki farewell.

"Well, what am I to do here?" Loki says nonchalantly, but Spock can tell that really, Loki wants to feel useful while he's on the Enterprise.

"I will see what I can do," Spock says and then leaves. As he walks away, he tries to force away the feeling that he's made a _friend_ which is not wholly unnatural or unusual, but he just met this out of place Asgardian, and he already has a keen interest in insuring Loki's well-being and acceptance on this ship.

When he enters the cockpit, Jim is smiling at him with the painfully obvious smirk of someone that is up to something, and Spock knows that this is another instance where Jim realized something before Spock, namely that Spock and Loki would get along better than expected. And Spock accepts this fact with less disinterested indifference than usually, resistig the urge to smirk back.

**(I have a question for anyone that is better at Star Trek than me: I call it the cockpit, because I was raised around airplanes, but is it really called the cockpit or am I just butchering the terminology?)**

**Next chapter includes Loki and Bones being bros! And should be up by the end of next week!**


End file.
